Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Icing.

This icing is THE best icing I have EVER eaten. EVER!

Chocolate Butter Cream
(Kristin's Version)

1/2 cup of margarine (I had imperial margarine in my fridge. I didn't have butter I would have normally used butter but I didn't have it so I used marg.)(oh and you want it soft I let it sit out for the afternoon)
a splash of extract ( I used almond and it was Divine)
2 or so cups of sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa (also sifted)
2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of corn syrup (white)

Beat your fat and extract together till fluffed.
add sugar and cocoa. Mix.
Add milk and syrup and mix till fluffy again.

This was the EASIEST icing I've ever made. It was also the only icing I've ever had the desire to just sit down and eat. It was lovely.

Chocolae Zucchini Brownies

I got the recipe from my friend Shauna. It is good. Really good. Try it.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 & 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups grated zucchini

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until nice and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions.

Beat in sour cream and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Add to the creamed mixture.

Mix it up.

Fold in zucchini.

Spread into a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Cool.

Smooth frosting over top.

Cut into bars.

Original Frosting Idea

:2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips + 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

(Stir together in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.

Spread over warm brownies.)

Batter minus zucchini

Batter with zucchini

In the pan

Frosted and ready to eat.

Zoo

Lucy and her Tiger.

She LOVED the tiger.

The tiger may have loved her.

It looked like love at first sight.

Who am I to judge?

Every time the tiger walked by it would lick the glass in front of her.

I wish I could Have gotten a picture.

BUT

It was amazing and I was stunned.

Lucy and her Dad watching the Elephant.

Mesmerizing.


Picture perfect.
I had to bribe the elephant.
She was much more expensive than the kid.
Give the kid an ice cream and she's happy.
The elephant on the other hand.... well lets just say it cost more than peanuts.


Giraffe



Hip- hip hop anonymous.
You could of riden it.
Thank goodness for the glass.
I'm sure it would of been a rodeo.

friday

It's Friday. Fairly obvious, I know BUT don't you love Fridays? I do. I don't have a job that ends Friday (although sometimes I wish I did), my husbands job doesn't end on Friday, my wee children aren't in school (yet... soon though), I usually have no where to go, and yet I am always thrilled it's Friday. Maybe it goes back to a time when I did have fun things to do on the weekend and it was my last day of school for the week. Anyways, Friday is here and I am HAPPY.

Oh and on a side note. I have a new dedication to my wii fit. I'm actually going to figure out if it works. I've been on it 3 days in a row so we'll see. I still have my hypothesis that it's a lazy form of exercise and won't do much BUT since I don't really feel like REALLY exercising (on account I am not fond of the idea of being eaten by bear) then lazy-man exercising experiment is what I'm left with.

I bet your glad you checked the blog, huh?? wouldn't want to miss out on this beaut of a post.

bear Jam

I have only one word to say.... Waterton.

All that stink for a bear!

Apricots

I haven't turned my oven on much this summer. I've been gone and usually it's just too dang hot but I came home from the lake this week with a bag of perfectly ripe apricots. I didn't buy them. I'm not particularly fond of them. I enjoy apricot jam BUT that's where my love stops. So they have just been sitting, ripening, and beckoning for me to use them.

Apricot Tart in purest form

Cut up apricots and fill bottom of tart shells

Sprinkle with corn starch and toss.

Sprinkle liberally with sugar.

Add a few nuts.

Bake at 350 for 15- 20 minutes until crust is golden and syrup is thick.

Eat and enjoy.

These tarts are sweet and tangy. They are delicious and simple.

Apricot Crumble Tart

Ingredients:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup of butter

1/3 cup of flour

1 egg

1. Cut apricots and fill bottom of tart
2. spoon mixture on top
3. sprinkle with nuts
4. bake @ 350 for 25 minutes

Eat.

This is the best tart I've ever made.

It's perfect.